The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-07-23
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES,
JOHN \. ARMSTRONG,


Story Continued .from Inst Weh.-Satt
Arrirdl-Bwiding a Suydr Cdmp INT.
Tile Primitive "BrorH .Stone FroHt"-
Winter Of HE Deep Snon.--7he Summer
After.--7he SUdden Freesc
litter a long and tedious trip, Mr.. S'rawn
of course was In high glee, because of his
having safely made his long journey, with
household effects. horses cows, &c, with.
out any loss or serious mishap. One Of
Strawn's party, named llaver, mounted up
on remarkably obstinate, high.struDg,
and sometimes remarkably cunning horse,
called "Tige,' had just LED In chase OF a
wolf The horse had not only overtaken
the game, but sprang upon the wolf with
both fore feet and held him down until
killed by one of the hunters. Mr.. Slrawn,
riding another animal and not relshing his
defeat by his opponent in the wolf hunt,
challenged him 10 race 10 the camp OF
his nephew, just ahead. II was accepted
and the race started There happened to
he a dry ditch covered with grass, leaves,
&c In the edge of the prairie, close To the
boys wigwam, or brush shelter, across
which the racers must pass, with a fair
chance for broken limbs or even worse
fate. John :. ran out and tried by all sorts
of GESTURES to warn the horsemen Of their
danger, but this his uncle John took as
demonstrations Of joy because Of his arri
val, But "Tige" somehow perceived
trouble ahead, and baked just at the right
time to save his rider from fall, while
Johns horse tell into the ditch, pitching
his master a rod forward, but luckily the
heavy growth of matted grass upon which
he fell protected him from injury. Mr.
Strawn had left his family at McCul-
lough's grove, couple of days journey or
so away, and had come forward to reconnoi
ire and provide cabins. Having satisfied
himself as to the location of his future
home, he returned for his wife and babies,
and the others of his party During his
absence John 5. and the others had built
sugar camp hut" fer the use of the fam
lily. This Is "A novel sort of shelter known
only TO the early pioneers, and to them,
only, as the fore.runners of log cabins as
the latter were of frame buildings, and
frame of brick houses. The sugar camp
hut, on the line OF human habitations,
stands between bark wigwam and n log
cabin. This structure consists of split logs,
often resting upon the ground at the rear
end, the other upon forked props five or six
feet high. Others, and more improved
have wall at the back four or five feet in
height and six or seven feet In front. They
were 12xl4 to l0xl2 feet, had no chimney
and no floor save the earth, and open in
front, logs or brush constituting the sides
1t was the least expensive, and less elabor-
ate of all known human shelters, save u
hole in the ground or cave in the rocks
After the completion of the sugar camp
hut" which was to be used temporarily
for the accommodation OF the movers from
Ohio until more substantial dwelling
could be built, MIR. Armstrong and his com
panon cut logs for double log cabin
Our younger readers may be Interested
In knowing that this was not single cabin
Of double logs, as the name would seem to
imply, but two cabins, fifteen OF twenty
feet apart the space between forming a
middle room sided by slabs and all under
one roof This style of primeval house
was the outgrowth OF wealth and import,
ance, the very brown stone fronted palatal
castle Of pioneer aristocracy! This cabin
ana stable were raised in the fail in time
for their occupancy by the family during
that wonder of seasons,
THE WINTER OF THE DEEP SNOW"
Memorable as the most remarkable in
modern times. The fall had been unusu-
ally fine, and the settlers had prospered
finely with all their work, but between
Christmas and New Years prodigious
fall OF snow occurred, covering the prairies
70 the depth of about three feet, and drift.
Ing In the timber and increasing from time
TO time, till II filled the ravines 10 a level
with the tops of the fences on the bluffs,
and rendered travel almost an mpossibility.
Cattle had to be subsisted on the tender
tops of the trees, cut down for that pur.
pose. In the spring, when hay gave out,
live stock persisted by hundreds. The set.
tiers, unable to get to the mill near Magno-
lila, blockaded by the snow, had to pound
corn for their bread. Nr. Armstrong and
partner lost 100 head of cattle by reason of
scant food and no water, and other neigh.
bOrs Jared equally bad In this result Some
Of the settlers who had unluckily stacked
heir hay In the rayines found i, wholly